TOP ACHIEVERS
Top Achievers are recognized for their countless volunteer
hours and dedication to the Ambassador Program’s mission of serving as an active volunteer extension of the Knoxville Chamber to cultivate, promote, and maintain positive
relationships between the Knoxville Chamber, its members,
and the community.

SCORING
BUSINESS
University of Tennessee Athletics Makes
Significant Impact on Local Economy
BY: JESSICA KARSTEN
There are two sounds synonymous with the start of the University of Tennessee’s football season – the Pride of the Southland Band playing Rocky
Top, and the metaphorical ringing of cash registers. Seven Saturdays a year,
Neyland Stadium ranks as the seventh largest population-center in the state
of Tennessee, and the economic impact that makes on the city, county, region,
and state is significant.
However, the impact of the University of Tennessee Athletic Department
is far more reaching than those seven Saturdays in the fall. With more than
500 student athletes representing 20 men’s and women’s NCAA Division I
intercollegiate teams, UTAD is a powerful economic driver.
Last September, UTAD retained Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Tripp
Umbach, a national leader in economic impact research, to measure and analyze the economic impact and community benefits of Tennessee Athletics and
its programs on Knox County and the state of Tennessee. UTAD released the
findings in a comprehensive economic impact and community benefits report
in May.
The study was conducted by interviewing department personnel and local business and community leaders to gain insights on the positive impacts
Tennessee Athletics has locally and statewide. The analysis also utilized data

measures including financial expenditures, UTAD employment numbers, and
visitor and fan spending information.
“The findings from this report further quantify and evidence the significant
value of Tennessee Athletics to our state and local economies and communities,” said Dave Hart, vice chancellor and director of athletics for the University of Tennessee. “The report reflects the profound impact of Tennessee Athletics and its supporters, and the figures are truly a testament to the passion
of the Volunteer fan base.”
The report found that UTAD generates $463.9 million annually in overall
economic impact for the state of Tennessee and $618.3 million annually in
overall economic impact for Knox County.
This economic impact is significant because it represents “new money”
entering Tennessee’s economy due to home games from out-of-state fans,
visiting teams, bands, spirit squads, and media, which would not occur without the presence of Tennessee Athletics.
“Tennessee Athletics is a major driver of economic activity for the Knoxville
area and the state of Tennessee,” said Paul Umbach, founder and president
of Tripp Umbach. “The presence of Tennessee Athletics is a valuable asset,
both in quantitative and qualitative terms, for the constituents of Tennessee.”

K N O X V I L L E C H A M B E R | 73

“Scoring Business continued from pg. 73

Boosting Local Business
Operations and visitor spending by the University of Tennessee Athletics Department and its fans directly and indirectly impacts residents and businesses throughout
Knox County and the State of Tennessee.
According to the 2016 report, local business volume is affected by Tennessee
Athletics in three primary ways: through direct expenditures for goods and services
by UTAD, staff, and visitors; indirect spending in the county and state; and induced
spending by households directly employed by Tennessee Athletics or the local and
state businesses providing the goods and services.
In both the State of Tennessee and Knox County, primary business sectors impacted by Tennessee Athletics include sporting events, hotels and motels, food and
beverage stores, and limited-service restaurants.
“UT Athletics’ drive to enhance the fan experience in all sports has had a profound
effect on my business,” said Terry Turner, owner of All Occasions Party Rentals and
chair-elect for the Knoxville Chamber board of directors. “The partnership and trust
we have created by working closely together is important to my business and to the
local and regional economy.”
The report also found that visitor and fan spending totals $319 million in the State
of Tennessee and $448 million in Knox County. These expenditures generate an impressive $28 million in state and local tax revenue, not including tax revenues related
to ticket sales.
The University of Tennessee Athletics Department also supports thousands of jobs
statewide in nearly every sector of the Tennessee economy in areas such as construction, business and professional services, restaurants and hotels, and information technology.
Tennessee Athletics generates a total of 4,456 jobs in the state and 6,500 jobs in
Knox County. These jobs include direct employment by UTAD, indirect and induced
jobs created by vendors, contractors, and laborers for the construction and renovation of UTAD facilities, and jobs created in the community at hotels, restaurants, and
retail stores in support of Tennessee Athletics’ workforce and visitors.
On a broader scale, Tennessee Athletics provides a platform to create business
value for both profit and nonprofit organizations inside the county and state. UTAD
can spur additional private sector development from the department’s activities, provide advertising and sponsorship opportunities for local and regional businesses,
and offer a place for local nonprofits to generate funding through the operation of
event concessions.
“The ripple-effect of the UT Athletics Department on Knoxville’s business community is profound,” said Mike Edwards, president and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber.
“It is a significant employer in the region and its employees stimulate local economic
growth through consumer spending.”

Game-Day Stats
Sports fans travel from across the state to watch the Tennessee Volunteers play,
with home football games attracting more than 102,000 people to the city seven
Saturdays each fall. In fact, more than 70 percent of football game attendees live
outside of Knox County.
According to UTAD’s 2016 report, economic impact of UT football visitor spending across the state was $294.1 million during the 2015 season, contributing to a
total of $347 million in economic impact from one athletic program alone. On average, Tennessee residents coming to Knox County for a football game spend $140
per day at local businesses.
In terms of select business sectors, visitor spending for home football games con-

tributes $28 million to local food and beverage stores, $30.7 million to local limited -service restaurants, and $40.4 million to local hotels and motels. The study
found that nearly 22 percent of football game attendees stay at a hotel in Knox
County.
“As a downtown hotel, we recognize that the UT Athletic Department helps
fuel our local economy with an influx of travelers and participants that are so
proud to be a part of UT sporting events, and we share in their pride,” said
Fran Owen, director of sales and marketing for Hilton Knoxville. “The impact
of success that the UT Athletic Department brings to hotels and businesses in
Knoxville is significant and immediate. UT Athletics is not only a part of our hotel’s
economic success, it drives our economic success and fills our hearts with pride,
hope, and joy along the way.”
Similarly, total economic impact from visitor spending for both men’s and women’s home basketball games totals $92.2 million and $129.9 million on the State
of Tennessee and Knox County, respectively.

A Champion of Community Development
Beyond serving as an invaluable driver for economic prosperity, Tennessee
Athletics provides numerous intangible benefits to the Knoxville community.
These benefits provide a sense of civic pride and unity that allows the community
to connect and grow.
UTAD not only offers educational and recreational activities for local youth
through sport camps, it provides countless community service and outreach opportunities for student athletes and staff. In 2015, Tennessee Athletics ranked
second in the SEC with over 5,500 hours of community service.
Each year, UT student athletes give back to the community by visiting patients
at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, playing games with the Boys & Girls Club
at the annual April Play Day, helping construct houses for Habitat for Humanity,
and reading to children through the Knox County “Read With Me” program.
“We have a vision statement for the department of athletics, and one key aspect of that vision is to ‘honor and fulfill the Volunteer Spirit’,” said Tom Satkowiak, assistant athletic director for media relations at the University of Tennessee.
“In addition to that, one of our core values is ‘service to our students, fans, and
community.’ That commitment to community outreach and positively impacting
others is something our staff and student-athletes live every day. Our administrators and coaches regularly receive letters, calls, and emails about instances of
our student-athletes making a real difference through service.”
Additionally, UTAD allows for the promotion of the University of Tennessee and
the City of Knoxville as a whole. Media exposure for athletic events provides a national platform to show that Knoxville is a great place to visit or locate. This positive exposure for the university can also lead to increased admission requests,
institutional giving, and degree values.
“The teams that make up the department provide our community with a sense
of pride and rallying point,” Edwards said. “Markets throughout the country aspire to have the economic drivers associated with a successful sports program
and spend millions of dollars in incentives to attract professional franchises in
hopes of replicating what we have here with UTAD. We are very fortunate.”
To access the economic impact report in its entirety, visit www.utsports.com/
economicimpact.
Please note that figures for impact on Knox County are higher than those for
the State of Tennessee because economic impact is defined as dollars coming
from outside the territory surveyed.

Knoxville Chamber Premier Partners had the chance to hear from Knoxville Mayor
Madeline Rogero at an exclusive event sponsored by Verizon on Aug. 3.
Mayor Rogero began the discussion by describing the ways the City of Knoxville
is growing and evolving. She explained how her administration has developed a vision for Knoxville and works to achieve it each day.
“The very basic thing is that we want to deliver outstanding city services,” Mayor
Rogero said. “We want to give them to you at a good value, and we want to be
responsive to the community. The most basic and important service is public safety
– our police and fire. Under Chief Rausch and Chief Sharp we have excellent leadership.”
Mayor Rogero also described the city’s dedication to keeping neighborhoods
safe, building a healthy community with parks and greenways, and revitalizing downtown to maintain a vibrant city core.
“We try to encourage reinvestment where there has been disinvestment,” she
said. “We know it’s great if we have a lot of commercial development on the outskirts of town, but if the heart is weak, then the whole city weakens.”
She explained how the city’s progress is shown through construction and corporate headquarters relocating to downtown Knoxville. She discussed two opportunities for new development on Knoxville’s south waterfront and along I-275 and

assured the crowd that the city is continuing to focus on those areas.
To view a video of the entire event, please visit the Knoxville Chamber’s YouTube
Channel.
SPONSORED BY:

Eight staff members from the Knoxville Chamber attended the 2016 Association
of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Convention from Aug. 9-12 in Savannah, Ga.
The annual conference brings together chamber leaders from across North America to share best practices and interact with top industry experts.
“Our team looks forward to attending ACCE each year because it gives us the
opportunity to learn about new chamber programs and the best practices of our
colleagues from across the nation,” said Mark Field, senior vice president for the
Chamber. “It also gives us the chance to discuss ways that we can better serve our
members and the Knoxville community.”
During the four-day conference, the group attended various seminars and workshops about topics including closing the skills gap through workforce development,
keeping a strong membership pipeline, and communicating policy priorities.
Doug Minter, director of small business development for the Chamber, was a
speaker for the “Incorporating Inclusion in Small Business Programs” session, and
also served as an ACCE board member and chair of the ACCE Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Two Chamber staff members were also recognized by ACCE this year for their

excellence in membership sales. Ashleigh Adkins, membership development
manager for the Chamber, and Mary McCall, account executive for the Chamber,
ranked seventh and eighth in the nation, respectively.

K N O X V I L L E C H A M B E R | 75

Knoxville Chamber Welcomes New Board Members
As a membership organization, the Knoxville Chamber looks to its elected Board of Directors for guidance as it strives to serve and support its members and the community. Board members are recognized as key community leaders and influencers dedicated to community growth. Each board member serves a three-year term and
may be re-elected. This year, the board welcomes 10 new members who will serve the 2016-2019 term (highlighted in orange).

Ms. Robyn Askew

Board Chair
Attorney
Lewis, Thomason, King, Krieg &
Waldrop

Mr. Terry Turner

Board Chair-Elect
Owner
All Occasions Party Rentals

Mr. Daniel Carter

Board Secretary
President
The Trust Company of Knoxville

Mr. David Metz

Mr. Kent Bristow

Senior Vice President, Revenue
Management
TeamHealth, Inc.

Ms. Angie Cannon

Chief Executive Officer
Cannon & Cannon

Mr. Justin Cazana
Principal
Avison Young

Dr. Peter V. “Doc” Claussen
President
Gulf & Ohio Railways

Board Treasurer
CFO, VP of Finance
Marine Accessories Corporation

Mr. Antone Davis

Mr. Brad Adams

Mr. Travis Edmondson

Chief Financial Officer
South College

Mr. Bruce Anderson

Ex-Officio, CBID
VP for Legal Services, General
Council
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital

Ms. Susan Bacon

Chief Executive Officer
Johnson & Galyon

Ms. Ursula Bailey

Attorney
Law Office of Ursula Bailey

Mr. Robert Baird

Senior Vice President, Knoxville Market Executive
FSG Bank

Mr. Patrick Birmingham
Publisher
Knoxville News Sentinel

Mr. Eddie Black

Senior Vice President
Knoxville Utilities Board

Ms. Mary Ellen Brewington

Executive
Cherokee Distributing Company

Vol For Life Coordinator
University of Tennessee Athletics
Chief Executive Officer
Clayton Bank

Mr. Mel Evans

Mr. Shannon Harper

Mr. Jorge Sanabria

Ms. Lisa Healy

Ms. Debbie Saraceni

Vice President
Harper Auto Square

President
Sysco Knoxville, LLC

Mr. Neil Heatherly

President and Chief Administrative Officer
Parkwest Medical Center

Mr. Alan Hill

Regional Director - External Affairs
AT&T Tennessee

Mr. Andy Lorenz

Vice President of Administration
Provision Health Partners

Mr. Justin C. Maierhofer

Vice President, Government Relations
Tennessee Valley Authority

Dr. Michael McIntyre

President/Owner
Insurefit RM

Director, Executive MBA for Strategic
Leadership
University of Tennessee

Knoxville’s annual Startup Day is taking on a new approach this year as it transitions into a week-long celebration of the region’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Innov865 Week will take place Sept. 19-23 and will consist of pitch competitions, educational opportunities, and social events highlighting the region’s vibrant
entrepreneurial landscape. The program serves as the signature event of the Innov865 Alliance, a group dedicated to showcasing Knoxville as a great place for
entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.
Founding members of the alliance include the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UT’s Anderson Center for
Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Pershing Yoakley and Associates, Launch Tennessee, and the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center.
“With the success of our previous half-day event, Startup Day, the Alliance felt
that we could develop a week-long program that would showcase an even broader cross-section of the region’s entrepreneurs,” said Jim Biggs, executive director
of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. “This year will include programming that
highlights startups and growth-stage companies, technology being developed by
UT and ORNL, and more.”
The week will kick off with the Kauffman Foundation’s Mayors Summit on Entrepreneurship hosted by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. The event will bring
together entrepreneurial and civic leaders from across East Tennessee to talk
about strengthening our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Innov865 Week will also feature nationally-recognized serial entrepreneur Paul
Singh and his North American Tech Tour. He will offer programming and hold
one-on-one consultations with Knoxville-area startups. These meetings will help
Singh better understand Knoxville’s entrepreneurial landscape and identify investment opportunities.

The Works: Demo Day 2016
will showcase the area’s newest
media and software companies
at Scripps Networks Interactive
on Sept. 21. This will conclude
the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center’s inaugural accelerator program focused on media content
and coding companies.
The week will continue with
Startup Day 2015 Winner FunLPro poses for a
the signature Startup Day 2016
photo with the $5,000 grand prize.
at the Bijou Theatre from 2–4
p.m. on Sept. 22. The event promises an exciting line-up featuring fireside chats with
some of Knoxville’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors, power pitches from
six Knoxville-area startups competing for a $5,000 cash prize, and awarding of the UT
Federal Credit Union Traction Award to a Startup Day alumnus that has made the most
progress.
“Shining a spotlight on East Tennessee’s most promising companies is so important
for the economic growth of our region,” Biggs said. “Highlighting the collaborative
efforts of organizations that supports entrepreneurs here only reinforces the growing
recognition of East Tennessee as a world-class place to start and grow a business.”
Tom Ballard, chief alliance officer for Pershing Yoakley and Associates, said, “Innov865 elevates the visibility of the region to entrepreneurs and investors across the
country. It gives us the opportunity to put the spotlight on the great things that are
underway and celebrate the ever-growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
For more information about Innov865 Week, or to register for any of the events, visit
www.innov865week.com.

SEPTEMBER - MEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Since 1869, the Knoxville Chamber has been the leading voice for business in the region. Each of these businesses are celebrating milestone anniversaries as Chamber members
during the month of September. Thank you for your commitment to the Chamber and the community!
31+ YEARS

*All 2016 building permit data is preliminary and therefore subject to revision throughout the year.
Sources: U.S. Housing & Urban Development – SOCDS – State of the Cities Data Systems; U.S. Census Bureau – Building Permits Survey

Knoxville Chamber Hosts Lunch with
Commissioner Randy Boyd
Commissioner Randy
Boyd of the Tennessee Department of
Economic and Community Development
addresses Knoxville
Chamber board members and members of
the Innovation Valley
Chairman’s Circle of
Investors at a luncheon on July 22.

BY: JESSICA KARSTEN

Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, met with Knoxville Chamber board members and members of the Innovation Valley
Chairman’s Circle of Investors for a luncheon on July 22.
More than 30 attendees gathered at the Chamber for lunch and conversation with Commissioner Boyd to hear about the state of Tennessee’s economic development efforts and how they
compare with other states across the country. He discussed recent corporate relocations and
expansions that have greatly increased the number of jobs and capital investments in the state,
as well as how Tennessee stacks up against other states in regard to foreign investment.
“This luncheon was a great way to initiate conversations between Commissioner Boyd and
local business leaders in a casual setting,” said Rhonda Rice, executive vice president for the
Chamber. “Attendees had the unique opportunity to ask the commissioner about economic development efforts in Tennessee that directly affect their businesses here in Knoxville.”

The Chamber hosted a Women on the Rise to Shine luncheon, presented by SunTrust, on Aug. 17 at Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park.
Susan Packard, co-founder of Scripps Networks Interactive and former chief operating officer of HGTV, presented strategies for women in the workplace to a sold-out
crowd of 220. Her presentation highlighted concepts from her book, New Rules of the
Game: 10 Strategies for Women in the Workplace.
Her book, published in February 2015, details the lessons she learned climbing to the
top and building powerhouse media brands like HBO, CNBC, and HGTV. Focused on
competition at its core, the book uses the metaphor of what it takes to win at games or
sports to illustrate strategies for workplace success.
“Act like an athlete,” Packard said. “By that I mean that you come to work composed,
confident, and resilient. Come to work and act like and think like a winner.”
Packard briefly highlighted each of the ten rules in her book, including “it starts with
conditioning,” “play it cool,” and “learn to play offense.” She encouraged women to ask
for things that they want in the workplace with artful assertiveness.
“Much like offensive players in a game score points, so too can we score points for
our company,” she said. “We can do that by being part of new business development,
sales teams, and new product development. Here’s the trick. To play offense, we must
ask for things. You cannot get what you need if you don’t ask.”
Packard also described strategies for effective negotiation and the need for having
“fan clubs” inside and outside one’s organization. She explained how to build these fan
clubs by asking for help, working on cross-functional teams, having a sense of humor,
and building networks.
“This is a great example,” she said. “You’re here networking and meeting women
outside of your companies.”
She concluded the lunch and learn with three main pieces of advice: resilience, re-

Susan Packard, co-founder of Scripps Networks Interactive (pictured center), poses for
a photo with Kim Jarrard of SunTrust, Rhonda Rice of the Knoxville Chamber, and Jean
Martinez and Angela Conner of SunTrust at the Women on the Rise to Shine luncheon
on Aug. 17.

spect, and inclusion. Packard told attendees to have the courage to push through
tough times, to have respect for those who came before them, and to accept others that are unlike themselves.
“Regardless of where you are in your career, Susan’s message was relevant
and inspirational,” said Lori Fuller, vice president of marketing and events for the
Knoxville Chamber. “When we started this series we wanted to deliver programming that highlighted local female business leaders and inspire the next generation, and Susan delivered on both fronts.”
The popular Women on the Rise to Shine series, sponsored by SunTrust, offers
female professionals quarterly events designed to recognize and develop women
in the workplace. Programming for the series has included lunch and learns, a
panel discussion with local female business leaders, and a “Wine and Shes” reception.

K N O X V I L L E C H A M B E R | 79

The Knoxville Chamber hosted its inaugural young professionals summit, Endeavor 2016, on
Aug. 19 at the Mill & Mine in Knoxville’s Old City.
More than 550 guests attended the day-long event presented by Clayton Bank and Denark
Construction, which featured two inspiring keynote speakers, numerous breakout sessions,
a food truck food court lunch, and an after party with entertainment from local band Electric
Darling.
Attendees also had the opportunity to give back to the community with the Keurig Green
Mountain service-to-go projects benefitting Great Schools Partnership, Young Williams Animal
Center, and Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley.

More than 550 guests attended the Knoxville Chamber’s inaugural young
professionals summit, Endeavor, on Aug. 19.

Grant Rosenberg, vice president of Denark Construction, and Travis Edmondson, CEO of Clayton Bank, represent the Endeavor 2016 title sponsors at the
event’s morning session on Aug. 19.

Local artists Cody Swaggerty and Shane Sandberg created this impressive
mural throughout the day-long Endeavor Young Professionals Summit hosted
by the Knoxville Chamber.

The Endeavor 2016 Young Professionals Summit featured 11 breakout sessions about personal, professional, and community development at the Southern Station and Regas Building.

Attendees of the Endeavor 2016 After Party were entertained by local band
Electric Darling at the Mill & Mine in Knoxville’s Old City.

SEE MORE PHOTOS ON THE KNOXVILLE CHAMBER’S FACEBOOK PAGE.

K N O X V I L L E C H A M B E R | 80

Where Are They Now?
FedEx Distribution Facility
BY: KAYLA WITT

On Oct. 9, 2014, FedEx announced it would open a new distribution facility in
Knox County at the Hardin Business Park. The new facility represented $35M in
capital investments and 190 new jobs for the Innovation Valley.
The 200,000 square-foot distribution center began operations in April 2016, and
currently employs 210 individuals.
“The new facility is part of a nationwide network expansion to boost daily package
volume capacity and further enhance the speed and service capabilities of the FedEx
Ground network,” said Luke Anderson, senior manager at the west Knox County
facility. “Since 2005, the company has opened 12 new hubs featuring advanced
material-handling systems and expanded or relocated more than 500 local facilities.”
Anderson sites the ease of access to major highways, customer proximity, and
strong local community workforce for employee recruitment as key factors when
choosing where to locate its distribution center. The Innovation Valley region is within
a day’s drive to over 60 percent of the United States population.
“This new facility is the culmination of a strong partnership between Knoxville and
FedEx Ground, the matching of numerous job opportunities with a talented local
workforce, and the ongoing growth of FedEx Ground,” said Anderson. “While we
currently employ around 210 individuals, we will add to the workforce as necessary
to support increased demand for service in the area.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the FedEx Hardin Valley job openings is
encouraged to visit www.fedex.com/careers.

RIBBON CUTTING

Hoffmann Group USA, located at 202 N. Seven Oaks Drive, celebrated the grand opening
of its U.S. headquarters on Thursday, Aug. 11. Charlie Slagle, president of U.S. Operations
and Martin Reichenecker, chief sales officer in Munich, Germany are pictured center and
joined by Mayor Burchett and fellow employees from the U.S. and Munich offices.

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More than 700 businesspeople are expected to attend the Knoxville Chamber’s Schmoozapalooza XV at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum on Sept. 15.
With approximately 100 businesses exhibiting, the tailgate-themed networking event and
tabletop expo gives attendees the opportunity to make business connections in a fun, casual setting.
“Schmoozapalooza provides an affordable setting for businesses to market their products and services to a large crowd, and for business people to network. The energy makes
it easy to have fun while doing business,” said Mark Field, the Chamber’s senior vice president.
Comcast Business and Business Owners Benefits Association will present this fall’s
event, along with media sponsor Sports Radio WNML.
The event will be held from 4 – 7 p.m., and tickets are $10 at the door. To see a video
from Schmoozapalooza XV, visit the Knoxville Chamber’s YouTube channel.